


The Philinda Special

by tessdebelle



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Chinese Food, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-10
Updated: 2017-02-10
Packaged: 2018-09-23 06:13:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9643952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tessdebelle/pseuds/tessdebelle
Summary: Phil Coulson is addicted to Chinese food. And Melinda May.





	

What was the line between admiration and stalking? Because Phil Coulson was beginning to fear he was nearing that line.

Sure, he didn’t see her anywhere other than at her work, but maybe that was just an excuse he made up. He suspected _House of May_ , the restaurant her family owned, thought he was addicted to Chinese food. Of course, that had been relatively true before he had met the May family. 

He had been raised on Chinese food - while his mother was a great cook, they had a ‘tradition’ of getting Chinese at their local restaurant, where they’d get huge platters of all different kinds and sample everything. As a Jewish family, Chinese food places were the only ones open, so after his mother’s fantastic brisket, Chinese food was always his favorite. He liked to challenge himself, picking out a different type every time he would order it and trying something new.

Despite only going to a college thirty minutes from home, he wasn’t close enough to drive home for family Chinese dinners, so he started looking for a good place that would deliver to his campus, and found _House of May,_ getting deliveries at least once a week. His favorites were the Pork Dumplings and General Tso’s Chicken. 

Things had changed halfway through Sophomore Year. He went there with a few friends late one night, having never actually been in the restaurant, and caught sight of the waitress and owner’s daughter for the first time. 

She had been quiet and reserved, but when he’d later seen her with her younger sister she had been warm, happy. He learned her name was Melinda, and after strategic eavesdropping and snippets of conversations with her, learned she taught Martial Arts at a nearby gym, and was only three months younger than him. 

Now in Senior Year and not sure how he’d get his May fix afterward - because how could he ever eat Chinese food not served by her? After meeting her for the first time, he started changing from getting his food delivered to picking it up in person, just on the slim chance he’d get to see her. Sometimes she’d talk to him - he always tried to get there early, so that he was sitting around for a little bit before the food was done. He would wear interesting shirts, or read a book about Tai Chi, anything to get her attention. It worked sometimes, and he’d get a few words out of her.

She didn’t talk much, and she found his jokes cheesy, but she still laughed, which was a plus. He learned that she had worked at the restaurant since she was fourteen, and she had a half sister, Daisy, who helped out sometimes too. He ended up embarrassing himself most of the time - one time he specifically remembered was rambling one for almost fifteen minutes, having gotten his food after only waiting five minutes, telling her all about his Captain America theories and how excited he was to hear that Bucky was alive.

And, even though his jokes were cheesy and he rambled on a lot, she had this little smile. Usually she had very solemn features but when he talked something in her changed - she smiled. It wasn’t a huge toothy grin and was probably closer to a smirk, but he took it as a victory.

Since it was his senior year, Phil moved into off campus housing, a small apartment, closer to _House of May_. And, with his roommate Clint spending the holidays with his girlfriend, he had the apartment to himself. Christmas Eve fell at the same time as Hannukah this year, so he would go home in a few days for their family celebration, but for now he would go to see her, as a gift to himself. 

He bundled up in a hat, jacket, scarf and gloves, all the while cursing the cold Northern weather and that he had to have a crush on the girl a block away, and left his apartment, walking down the streets lit with string lights and Christmas trees. Thankfully, he wasn’t sick of Christmas, though it did tend to get a little annoying at home with his neighbor’s blow-up decorations. But _House of May_ was a nice respite from the slightly overwhelming lights, and he smiled seeing Melinda there, looking bored behind the counter. The place was practically empty.

“Hi.” He said, smiling. She glanced up from her doodles on the notepad to see him. 

“Hey, Phil.”

He bit back his smile - somehow just hearing her say his name made him happy. It was something about her voice and the tenderness she said it with. He listened as she spoke, that voice strict but gentle at the same time, not really paying attention to a word she said… 

“Phil? You there? Earth to History Boy?”

He shook his head out of his daze. “Sorry. Long day.” He said chuckling, taking off his scarf. “I’ll take a Chicken Fried Rice and Wonton Soup to-go.” He said peeling off his gloves.

“I guess you didn’t hear me then. Since it’s so empty we’re not doing take out tonight. Since it’s empty.” She said. He glanced up, a little bit disappointed - he’d looked forward to seeing her tonight. “But you could just eat here?” She offered raising her eyebrows like the solution was obvious. Which, of course, it was.

“Yeah, I guess I’ll do that.” He said. Normally he didn’t only because he didn’t want her to see him eating alone - if he ate in the comfort in his dorm room, or even as the third wheel watching a movie with Clint and Natasha, she wouldn’t think he was lame or didn’t have anyone to hang out with. If he ate here that would mean her knowing he ate alone. But he could always use the excuse that it was Christmas for why he wasn’t with anyone. He slid into a booth, awkwardly reading the menu even though he had it practically memorized, finding her coming back out with a pot of tea. She poured him a cup, and, surprising him, slid into the booth across from him, pouring one for herself and taking a sip like they’d done this a million times. He stared at her over the menu, and she took it from him, putting it to the side. That was another thing he liked about her - she didn’t beat around the bush or pretend. She faced everything head on. 

Not sure what to say, he sipped his tea, even though he had never been a tea drinker. Surprisingly, it was pretty good. Warm, sweet, just a hint of something lemony. 

She seemed to be able to tell that he liked it. “My own personal brew. I can’t cook for shit but I can make a great cup of tea.” She said. He smiled, taking another long drink. “So what brings you here on Christmas Eve? Shouldn’t you be getting drunk on Eggnog?” She asked. 

He laughed. “While getting drunk right now doesn’t sound half bad, I don’t celebrate Christmas. Besides, I prefer Wontons to Ham.” He said. She gave that little half smile. 

“So I guess you celebrate Hannukah?” She asked. “Why not home for that then?”

He shrugged. “It’s not that big of a holiday, and I’m going to see family for it in a few days anyway. But I like it here - even if my family keeps bothering me to bring a girl home.”

She laughed at that. “How come?” She asked.

“Mom wants grandkids, I guess. I think they all just want to tease me about it until my face turns red, really.” He said. She smirked.

“Sounds like an entertaining picture.” She said. “Maybe you should bring me home to meet them.”

He looked at her trying to figure out if she was kidding. She wasn’t a joker - she played pranks but didn’t just say things as a joke. Her words held more meaning than that. “When I say bring a girl home I mean bring a girlfriend home.” He said carefully.

“I guess that would mean I’d have to become your girlfriend.” She teased. 

He tried to figure things out and he could tell she was laughing at him as he tried to connect the dots, feeling completely lost. 

“Phil you’ve been flirting with me two years now. I’ve been waiting for you to ask me out.” She said.

“Oh.”

He was an idiot.

“Is that a yes?” She asked. 

“A yes to you being my girlfriend?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m pretty sure ‘yes’ doesn’t cover that.”


End file.
